Mistakes
by Childhood Aspirations
Summary: He should never have done it. He should never have let his brother come along. But he had, and now it was too late to fix it, or anything else, for that matter. First Numb3rs fic. You don't have to be nice if you don't want to. HAITUS
1. Chapter 1

**Mistakes**

_By Childhood Aspirations_

Disclaimer: Own them? Nope. Wish I did? No duh...

**Chapter 1**_

* * *

__He should never have done it._

_He should never have let his brother come along._

_But he had, and now it was too late to fix it, or anything else, for that matter.

* * *

_

Don Eppes was a rather imposing figure. He looked like the kind of guy who knew his way around, who knew what he was doing and was comfortable with it. He wore his bulletproof vest like some people wore sweats and a t-shirt. He was accustomed to them; they were like second skin, almost. The sun glasses, the automatic gun in his hands, the gum… Well, the gum was different. He almost always chewed gum when he was on the field, about to bust up some operation or the like. It was a comfort thing.

Yes.

Don Eppes was an FBI agent, and he looked the part. He was the part. He fit it perfectly, and it fit him. When his friends, his father, even his brother looked at him, they couldn't imagine trying to fit into any other mold. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that being an agent was what the oldest Eppes son was meant to do.

It was like looking at Charlie and knowing that he couldn't be anything but a mathematical genius.

Sort of.

Perhaps not exactly the same, but pretty close…

Anyway…

Today just wasn't one of those days when Don was so confident. He ran his fingers through his short hair, frustrated, irritated, and worried. That last one sat in the back of his mind, nagging at him, annoying him.

It was hard to concentrate knowing that Charlie was sitting in a car on the edge of the perimeter, clicking away on his laptop, calculating last minute details of the operation. They wouldn't be needed, necessarily, but Charlie always liked to finish things.

Which was one of the reasons why Don was so irritated at the moment…

He had immediately opposed the idea of bringing Charlie along. Not only was it dangerous, but it was against protocol. Well, maybe it wasn't. Charlie was involved with the case. It seemed like lately he was involved with every case, something Don normally appreciated, but not at a moment like this. This _should_ be against protocol, especially when the person in question was his younger brother.

When it came to Charlie and danger…the two didn't mix very well, and the combination didn't sit well with Don either. At all. He didn't want his brother getting hurt. Period.

Yeah…which was why Charlie was practically apart of his team now…

Uh huh, that makes perfect sense…

"_Don, I can handle this. I need to come and make sure that everything goes smoothly. What if there's something I missed that could be rectified at a moment's notice?" _

Don had wanted to ask Charlie how many things in this operation could go wrong and then be fixed in the last second. He didn't think anything could be. It was just Charlie's excuse to come along.

"_Come on, Don. I want to see how it goes." He watched Charlie's hand comb back his unruly black curls, an almost unconscious gesture. It was habitual, mostly because the curls needed combed back most of the time. He sighed. _

"_Alright, alright, but you're not coming any closer than the edge of the perimeter. Got it? That's as close as you come, okay? I don't care if you can't see everything, or if you lose sight of it. You stay in that car and don't even think about getting out." _

"_Relax, Don. What do you think I'm going to do? Make the whole thing blow up in your face? I can take this just as seriously as you can. I **am** taking this just as seriously as you are." Charlie looked offended that Don doubted him. _

"_I know you can," Don said, trying to make amends. He rubbed his eyes. "Come on, man, let's go. The team's ready." They left to climb into the car. _

Don shook his head. There was really no reason for Charlie to be here. _Cool it, _he told himself. _Nothing's going to happen. Just cool it. _

"Everything okay?" Megan asked, coming up behind him.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"I see Charlie convinced you to let him come along," she remarked lightly.

He glanced at her. "Yeah." She smirked at him knowingly and readjusted her earpiece. They both looked at the hangar below them. Perfect place for criminals to set up base. Perhaps not so perfect a place for FBI agents to come and nab them, but nothing's perfect.

* * *

Charlie looked up from his laptop, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. Nervous habit. He could see Megan's position from where he sat in the car; he couldn't see Don. That didn't really make him worried, per say, just a little…anxious. 

Anxious. He was always anxious whenever he knew Don was out doing an operation like this. Dad worried too, he knew, but maybe not as much…which was strange in itself. Maybe Alan Eppes had learned to trust his sons to take care of themselves. They were who they were, and they probably wouldn't be changing anytime soon, therefore…

Charlie shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on the screen in front of him. It was a map of the area, the positions of the units represented by beeping red dots. A layout of their planned routes sat off on the side of the screen. It looked like a normal setup to him, though Charlie would be the first one to admit that he wasn't an expert when it came to this stuff.

No, it was mathematics in which he excelled. That was his forte.

He could trust Don to do his job, just like Don trusted Charlie to do his. In fact, as far as Charlie could tell, Don trusted him implicitly in that aspect, but in everything else…not so much. Don didn't like it when part of Charlie's life crossed over into part of his. Which explained why he hadn't wanted Charlie to come with him to observe.

It was rather annoying how Don treated him like a kid.

_Don will always treat you like a kid. That's just how it is. You're his younger brother and he's always going to want to protect you, no matter how old the both of you get. _

In his own way, Charlie could understand that.

"Megan?" She'd outfitted him with an earpiece of his own so he could communicate with her. He'd wanted to be connected to Don, but his older brother was too distracted. Charlie didn't want to make it worse.

"Yeah, Charlie?" Her voice sounded a little bit tense, but she worked as hard as she could to put on a cheerful cover up.

"How's everything?"

"I can't really talk right now, Charlie. We have to move. See you in a few minutes."

"Right," he murmured. She didn't respond. He heard the different units sound off in reply to Don's commands. Idly he wondered how Don could do something like that: rattling off orders like that with such calm.

Charlie focused on the screen again, tense with apprehension. Now, if everything would just go as planned…they could go home and forget about it, just like they did with all the other cases…to some extent.

_Well, it really isn't forgotten. It just sits in the back of your mind, a load that one day you'll have to reconcile yourself to. _

Charlie blinked. That was a disturbing thought. He automatically tried to calculate the reason for it. It didn't work as well as it might under different circumstances. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Megan and her team. Don was still out of sight, around the corner of the hangar.

Megan moved forward, smoothly, stealthily. She reminded Charlie of a cat, in a way. A cat with more deadly weapons than just her claws. Her use of a gun was a knock out. She disappeared through the entrance to the hanger and after a moment, Charlie heard Don's terse command in his earpiece.

"All units move it now. Go, go, go!"

That command, as commonplace as it was, sent fear sneaking down Charlie's spine in the form of a chill.

* * *

Don bit down hard on his gum, narrowly missing the inside of his own cheek. He muttered something under his breath and thought he heard a snort from somebody. Probably David or Colby. They were situated on the other side of the hangar, closing in. 

Don walked farther into the hangar, slowly, gun clutched firmly in his hand. "Sightings?" he whispered into his mic.

"Negative," was the unanimous response.

That was not a good sign.

And then they appeared out of nowhere and opened fire, about split second after he finished his thought.

Organized chaos reigned.

* * *

Charlie snatched the earpiece out of his ear, wincing at the loud retorts of the automatic guns going off. The fear that'd been going down his spine spread. A tiny bit of panic gnawed at him. He fought it off, typing away madly. What was happening? He resisted the urge to ask Megan, knowing she would be preoccupied. 

Had he miscalculated somehow?

* * *

Don ducked behind a mountain of old equipment, pausing for a moment before leaning out into the open briefly and firing off a few rounds. He caught sight of Colby dodging bullets from one pile of junk to another, trying to get close to where the ambush originated. David was being himself, playing it safe, taking no risks, leaning over the top of hiding place and aiming carefully before he fired, then disappearing again behind his makeshift barrier. 

"Megan."

"Right here."

"Any idea where they came from?"

"From whatever hole they were hiding in like little rats," she said tightly. "Little rats with big guns. Bad combination."

"Are you close to them?"

"Closer than you are."

"You and your unit move in. Got it?"

"Copy that."

"Don." It was David this time.

"Are you holding out?" Don asked, popping up again to squeeze off a few more at the ambushers.

"Well enough. My unit got caught up outside by the entrance. They have more guys here than we thought, Don. More guns too."

"Hang in there. Colby?"

"Present and accounted for, though wishing I wasn't," came his team member's flat voice.

"Status."

"I'm hiding behind a box and shooting at criminals I can't even see. I've been better, but heck, this is why I took this job, right? The uncertainty, the danger…hey, I live for it."

"Granger…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. My unit's at the south entrance. Sounds like there're more guys over there too. No word on an estimation of how many."

Don bit down hard on his gum. Dang. "Get as close to them as possible. I think the ringleaders are over by the north entrance, just over there. Megan's getting close to them. Wait for her signal, 'kay?"

"Copy that."

* * *

Charlie stopped and twisted a lock of curly black hair around his finger agitatedly. This was not good, whatever it was, and it was even more frustrating because he didn't know exactly what it was. 

This didn't make sense. How had they managed to get so many guys in there without Don's units noticing? It didn't make sense.

"Megan?"

"Can't talk, Charlie," she said shortly.

"What's happening?" he demanded, ignoring her. So she ignored him. That proved it. Something was definitely wrong here. He stared at the laptop in frustration.

And then it caught his eye.

The little blip on his screen. The one he hadn't noticed before. The one that Don and his team must not have noticed either, because it was giving these criminals a chance to slip away at that moment.

"Megan!" he shouted into the mic.

"Charlie!" she returned, trying to control her temper. "I'm kind of busy at the moment!"

"You don't understand! There's something there! There's some way that they're getting out! There's something I missed, something you guys missed! You should get out of there!"

Megan's heart jumped into her throat. She couldn't know for sure how accurate Charlie was on this account, but what he said did explain the bad feeling she'd had since they got here and the bad taste in her mouth.

This was not good.

"Is it rigged?" she demanded.

"I…I don't know," Charlie stammered. She could hear him tapping incessantly on the keyboard. "I can't tell. There's a high probability that it is though." He was silent for a moment. A bullet whizzed past her head and she ducked instinctively, bringing her gun up in the next instant and firing in the general direction of the shots. She was too occupied to aim more than on instinct.

She heard Charlie's sharp intake of breath in her ear, over the noise, and Megan knew then that they were in serious trouble.

She didn't' even wait to hear what Charlie had to say. "Don, we're in trouble," she said urgently. "Charlie says they have it rigged. It's a trap. They ambushed us, and in more ways than one!"

* * *

Don heard what she said and ground his teeth in frustration. "Granger, David. It's rigged. Get out, get out!" he shouted into his mic. He heard a curse sound off in his ear. That would be Colby. 

What happened next seemed surreal.

The gunfire stopped instantaneously and there was a split second of silence.

The silence immediately gave way the deafening sound of an explosion. The whole hangar trembled as half of it began to give way under the tremendous force of the explosives.

Don made a dash for the exit nearest him, the one he'd come in by, dimly catching sight of Colby and David as they followed his lead and made for their escapes as well. "All units pull out," Don shouted into his microphone, doubting they could hear him.

He was almost to the exit when a mountain of equipment on his right came tumbling down, knocked about by the dissembling of the building around it. Don was partially buried in the landslide of heavy boxes.

He blanked out.

* * *

Charlie sat there in speechless horror, staring at the hangar as half of it collapsed in on itself. 

_Don…?_

There was nothing but static in his earpiece, at least for now. He turned to his laptop in sudden anger and smacked the screen. What had he missed? Why hadn't he seen that one little detail, that tiny little area that changed the entire dynamic of the operation?

How could he have been so stupid?

_Don…? Don? Don!_

Charlie gritted his teeth. This could not be happening. The same question pounded into his brain over and over and over again.

_Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? _

_I don't know!_

He stared at the layout of the hangar, his eyes scanning every inch of it. And finally he found it.

Perspective.

Perspective had hidden that detail from him, creating a blind spot for the suspects who'd set up camp here. They'd known of the spots advantages and they'd used it to the fullest.

It had worked.

_DON! DON! _Don?

"Charlie!" It was Megan.

"Megan! Are you alright? Is everyone alright? Where's Don?" he demanded, leaning forward in his seat, hands clenched into fists of apprehension.

"I'm fine, and I think Granger and David are. I don't know where Don is. He's not responding to communication."

Charlie's heart fell into his stomach. He couldn't make any words come out of his mouth, or any sounds, for that matter. It occurred to him after a moment that he wasn't breathing anymore.

"Charlie? Charlie?" Megan called his name, sounding worried. "Are you still there?"

"I…I'm, I'm here," he stammered, gulping in oxygen.

"I'm going to go find Don now, okay? Are you hearing me? I'm going to find Don. Just stay where you are and we'll come find you. Okay, Charlie?"

"Yes," he whispered, despite the fact that he wasn't really sure what he was saying yes to. He just knew the word was appropriate at a time like this.

* * *

Megan kept a firm grip on her gun as she moved around the side of the hangar, following Don's route inside. She could practically hear her heart pounding in her chest. Not Don. Please, not Don. Don was her friend and she didn't want anything to happen to him. 

Besides, what would Charlie do without his brother?

Charles Eppes was one of the most brilliant men in the modern world, unsurpassed when it came to the arts of mathematics, a beyond-intelligent professor, and all of this from someone under 30 years old. To look at him, you would not think that he would need to rely on anyone other than himself.

But Megan knew different.

What could Charlie do without Don?

…Charlie would go all to pieces, that's what Charlie would do…

She caught sight of the pile of machinery blocking the side entrance and was trying to decide how to proceed in when she noticed the boxes and spare parts shifting. She ran forward and shoved it all aside. Don pushed himself up and squinted up at her dazedly.

"Are you okay?" she asked hurriedly, stuffing her relief over seeing him alive.

"Yeah," he murmured. "I think I hit my head…" It was bleeding. He was having difficulties getting up and Megan stooped down to help him.

"David's sending for paramedics," she told him. "Charlie's having a heart attack in the car. Now would be a good time to tell me that you don't have a concussion." She added something under her breath as he swayed on his feet, leaning against her.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Don said, managing a wry smile.

"Fantastic," she said. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Perspective. 

They'd got him with perspective.

It still hadn't ceased to astound him. It was almost embarrassing, but he still didn't know whether Don was alive or dead, so the whole humiliation bit wouldn't show up till a little bit later, if at all.

"Perspective," Charlie murmured, shaking his head.

"That's right, Whiz Kid. Perspective. Shocking, isn't it?" The cold barrel of a gun pressed to his head. "Take that lovely piece of equipment out of your ear and set it on the dashboard, if you would be so kind." The person speaking paused until Charlie had done so. "Thank you. Now set down your laptop. No quick movements. I've been told that I'm a little trigger-happy. I may shoot you before stopping to verify the facts of the situation." The voice, belonging to a man, was smug and confident. Charlie was relieved to realize that it wasn't Colby, who'd taken up referring to him by that nickname.

"Who are you?" the young professor inquired, climbing slowly out of the car under instruction, back to his new acquaintance.

"Someone who beat you with perspective," the voice said, even more pleased. "My goodness, you have no idea how much satisfaction I'm going to be getting out of this in the days to come." The chill of fear Charlie had been experiencing had now moved into the stage of shaking and trembling. "Good night, Professor Charles Eppes," the voice said, almost cheerfully. "Sweet dreams."

Something hard came down on his head. There was a flash of light, pain, and then nothing but blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Somewhere along the line, on the way from the hangar to the car, Don got a hold of himself. His head cleared somewhat and he assured Megan that he could walk on his own. She watched him warily, of course. Most likely she didn't trust him.

Don walked over to the car.

A tingling sensation annoyed him. Something wasn't right here. A chill ran down his spine.

The car was empty.

Megan came up behind him and saw what he was staring at, which happened to be Charlie's empty seat.

Don stood there, looking into the car, his mouth hanging open.

Charlie was gone. Just gone, just like that. The only sign that the young professor hadn't simply got up and walked away was the small patch of blood on the pavement next to the car.

Megan took a few steps closer, but Don was hardly aware of her. One thought pounded through his head, over and over again.

_Charlie was gone. Charlie was gone. _

_Charlie's gone, Charlie's gone, Charlie's gone, Charlie's gone-_

_Shut up!_

"What happened?" he heard himself ask, even though he knew Megan didn't have the answer.

"I don't know," she said. "I told him I was going to find you and then I didn't hear anymore from him after that." She eyed the earpiece sitting on the dashboard and the cockeyed way the laptop had been set down on the edge of the driver's seat. "Either there was somewhere he needed to go in a hurry, without being able to communicate with anyone, or someone didn't want him to communicate with anyone."

Don clenched his teeth in growing anger. This could not be happening. It was so simple. A simple operation.

Of course, this wasn't the only thing about this operation that hadn't turned out to be simple, but this was by far the most troublesome thing.

_Troublesome? TROUBLESOME? What are you saying? It's beyond troublesome! Your brother is gone, without a trace, and all you can think to say is that it's troublesome?_

Don looked down at the blood on the concrete and considered being sick. His face must have showed it when Megan glanced at him because she tried to make him sit down. "The next time you tell me that you don't know if you have a concussion, I'm going to take that for a yes," she said, frowning when he wouldn't move.

"No, I…" His hands turned into fists. "Where did he go? Who took him? Megan, this is Charlie we're talking about here! We have to find him!" The world spun briefly for a few moments before settling restlessly.

She watched him worriedly, biting her lower lip. "I know, Don," she said, trying to calm him down, but it wasn't working. She was too concerned for Charlie's safety to be convincing and besides, Don was not going to be calmed down.

He wasn't.

Not while Charlie was gone.

Colby appeared at that moment, jogging over to them, his face smudged with dirt, dust, and smoke. "What's going on?" he asked, peering into the empty car. It took a moment for the significance of that to sink in. He spotted the blood on the sidewalk. "Dang. Where the heck is Charlie?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Megan replied grimly. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the emergency number, moving away from Colby and Don as she started talking. Colby studied the scene and glanced at Don.

"You okay, man?"

_No! No, I'm not okay! Someone kidnapped my brother and I want to know who the heck it was so I can go out and kill them! _"Not really, no," he managed, trying at the moment to not explode on someone who didn't deserve it.

Colby cocked his head. "You don't look okay."

"Would you be okay if someone had just kidnapped your brother while you were in the middle of being ambushed?" Don snapped.

"No." Colby was serious now. "Sorry, Don. I didn't mean to, to, aw, you know." He touched Don's shoulder hesitantly. "Don't worry. We'll find him."

"I know." But it was hard to know in a situation like this, when all hope seemed lost before it had even been found, when they knew nothing, when there was no chance of anyone having seen Charlie's captor or captors… "I know. We're going to get him back. It's just a matter of time."

He was trying to convince himself more than he was agreeing with Colby. The latter nodded slowly.

"Yeah… We're going to find him."

Don straightened, gathering his mental faculties about him. This was going to be difficult. Normally Charlie helped them determine potential suspects. But now Charlie was the victim here…

The knowledge didn't sit well with him at all.

Megan returned from her phone call, giving him a suspicious look. "It's not a concussion," he insisted. "Just a bump. I think I would know if it was more than that."

She shrugged. "If you say so." She glanced at Colby. "The emergency backup is on their way. David was getting the paramedics."

"There he is," Colby said. David made his way over to them and came to an abrupt stop when he saw their faces.

"I'm not sure I want to know what just happened," he said slowly, looking between them.

"Charlie's gone," Colby and Megan said together. Don couldn't make himself say anything. The knowledge that someone had taken his younger brother was kicking in again at full force and he wasn't sure if he could handle it at the moment.

He was going to explode…

David blanched. "He's _gone_? Like he left, gone? Or like somebody's holding him hostage, gone?"

Megan glared at him. Colby shifted uncomfortably. Don ground his teeth.

_God, this can't be happening… _

"Gone as in someone's holding him hostage," he muttered, surprised that he'd even been able to speak. "Gone as in I let him talk me into coming here just so he could get endangered by some lunatic who decided it was a prime time to hold a college professor hostage! Gone! _God!_"

They were all looking at him, different emotions on their faces. David looked a little ashamed from having reintroduced the subject with so little tact. Colby looked ticked off, though it was unclear whether he was ticked off at Charlie's kidnapper; David; or some unnamed person. It was probably Charlie's kidnapper. That's who Don was furious with, besides himself, that is. Megan looked worried, and determined as well. It was her determination that fanned the tiny flame of hope.

Hope. There's always hope. _Keep thinking of the hope, Don. Charlie's your brother. These people are his friends. You're his friend. Who better to find him than his friends? _

_Charlie… Charlie!_

"Don?" It was Megan, repeating his name. He was staring past her, breathing heavily, angry. "Don, we're going to find him. I promise."

He tried to push his emotions away. But it was so hard… Charlie was his brother… It was different to be emotionally involved in this. "I know we are," he said bleakly. His friends stood around him, waiting for him. He was their team leader, and together they would find Charlie and beat the crap out of whoever did this to him.

Within the realms of justice and legality, anyway…

At least when people were watching…

_We're going to find him. We're going to find you, Charlie. Just hang in there for a little while. We're going to find you…_

Don was the FBI agent again.

Anything less just wasn't him.

* * *

It was dark, so very dark… 

Charlie suddenly had a new and very strong dislike for the dark.

He moved his head from side to side, but it didn't change what he could see. His hands were tied painfully tight behind him, encircling some rough, round, wooden object of some kind. A pole, a column…it fit the right dimensions, as far as he could tell…

_Don? Don, where are you? _

But suddenly he remembered. He remembered what had happened and why Don wasn't there. He didn't even know if Don was still alive…

_What a ridiculous thought! Of course he's still alive! What's the matter with you? _

_But the statistical probability that he might die is significantly higher than that of the average US citizen…_

_That's because he's trying to protect the average US citizen…_

_Just don't even think about it, Charlie. Don't think about it. _

_Don…I wish you were here. I'm a little bit confused at the moment as to where I am and why exactly I'm here. _

"Ah, good afternoon, Professor Eppes," came a pleasant voice. Charlie started. It was the voice of the man who'd found him in the car, but different at the same time: calmer, more relaxed, yet as alert as ever, perhaps even more satisfied than before.

"Who are you?" he called into the darkness. He heard an amused chuckle.

"No one so important that you need to trouble yourself with knowing me," the man said, a note of teasing in his voice. He was evidently so pleased with how things were playing out that he sounded cheerful.

A pair of rough hands brushed Charlie's face and he drew back sharply in fear. The hands jerked him back and yanked at something in back of his head. Blindfold.

The darkness peeled away to reveal dim light. Charlie blinked, unused to it. His eyes hadn't even finished focusing before the blow came, a backhand across his face. He gave a startled gasp. The taste of blood filled his mouth.

"I believe you'll remember I mentioned that I've been told I'm trigger-happy," the man said. Charlie raised his head slightly, squinting, trying to make out the specifics of the man's features. Nothing looked even remotely familiar. "I think you'll find that that description really applies to everything I do. If I start beating you for no apparent reason, try not to take it too personally. It's just the way I am." Another slap across the face emphasized the point. Charlie flinched, his skin stinging.

"Why-," he began, but the man cut him off with a patient gesture.

"Perhaps later we can address the reason that I have brought you here," he said in that same pleasant voice. "Yes, perhaps later. Certainly not right now. I have much more important business to attend to. At least I think I do. I'm technically insane, you know. It's been proven." He smiled.

Shivers went down Charlie's spine. A man who was either a very good actor/liar, or frighteningly aware of his own insanity…both were not looking so good. Those hands moved toward him and he moved his head away, anticipating another blow, but none came. Instead, the face came closer, close enough to Charlie could see detailed features clearly.

"Try to think of a good reason why I would let you see my face like this," the man said softly, holding Charlie's gaze with his penetrating own. His eyes were hard and cold.

The only one that came to mind was one that Charlie did not really want to contemplate.

_Either he's an idiot, or he's so confident that you'll be dead before anyone finds you that he doesn't care if you see his face or not. _

_DON! _

Don was not there, but in a moment, the blackness was again, and the only sound in the room was that of footfalls as the man departed from the room and closed the door behind him. Charlie heard the click of a lock and despaired.

That lock was akin to the last straw, if you know what I mean. It wasn't as though he could have done anything even if the door hadn't been locked, but still…

Charlie was afraid.

(A/N: Sorry that this chapter was so much shorter than the last one. I'm working on trying to figure out where I'm taking this plot. Hope you liked it though!)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Don rubbed his eyes wearily. No, he was beyond weariness, or even exhaustion. He was numb, utterly and completely.

As soon as he got his brother back he was going to make the young professor calculate the probability of Charlie getting kidnapped again, and if it was a good chance, he was going to lock Charlie in the house and never let him come out again.

Well… Okay, he was just never going to let Charlie work on a case ever again.

…Irrationality isn't very nice when you're trying to make promises to yourself.

"Don? Don…"

He lifted his head slightly. It was Megan's voice, and it reminded him that he wasn't the only one so tired that the floor was looking inviting. He wouldn't blame her if she were a bit irritated. He couldn't count the times he'd zoned out since…

_Oh God…_

Stifling a sigh, he lifted the report sitting in front of him. "Sorry. Just explain one thing to me. Where exactly was the extra unit? Didn't we have them monitoring the perimeter? Someone should have seen Charlie leaving, or being assaulted, or whatever." He had to swallow halfway through those words. The thought of someone hurting his brother was enough to arouse thoughts of going berserk.

Megan's sigh didn't sound as though she'd tried to hide it, and Don decided absently that next time he felt the urge to sigh, he wouldn't stifle it again.

God knew he had reason enough not to…

"They didn't leave their positions, Don," she said, massaging her right temple. "The way they were placed, there were only two of them who had Charlie in sight, and they were facing the hangar, as it was. Considering what was happening in there…"

"You can't say they got distracted. That's ludicrous."

"We'll have to go back to the scene and verify the exact positions they were in. Even if they could see Charlie, that doesn't mean they could necessarily see someone holding a gun to his head. There's a good chance the car itself could have easily hidden the kidnapper from sight."

She was right.

But that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. He needed someone to blame other than himself, and he needed somewhere to go with this, some lead.

"And there were no other potential witnesses…?"

"It was a deserted hangar, Don. There was nobody around, except for the guys who actually set up camp in there, if you know what I mean."

He knew that. He really did, but he couldn't give this up, or anything for that matter. Not for Charlie, not for his dad.

His dad…

"_Dad…I'm afraid I got some bad news." _

"_What kind of bad news, Donny?" _

"_It, it's about, ah, it's about Charlie." _

_Silence. "What happened to him?" _

"_He was kidnapped." _

"_Oh God." _

"Don."

He looked up. He'd been doing it again, losing his focus. "Sorry. Okay, let's-" He stopped as Megan shook her head mutely and pointed behind him. Don turned around in his chair and nearly went into cardiac arrest.

"…_Charlie_?"

His brother was standing there, staring at him. Blood had dried on the young professor's face, seeping from a gash beneath his hair. One side of his face was bruised green and purple, from the cheekbone to his jaw. His pants were torn at the knees and tattered at the hems, and there was dirt and dust amidst his curls.

Don catapulted out of his chair, but ground to a halt as Charlie lifted a hand fearfully, shying away. "Charlie, what happened? They let you go? Do you know who they are? Did you escape? Are you alright?" The dam had broken and questions flooded out, accompanied by a sense of overwhelming relief that made him want to collapse on the floor and weep like a baby.

And then his heart sank into his stomach.

Charlie's mouth worked and he blinked, avoiding Don's eyes. "I… I can't talk," the young man said thickly. "I only came to give you this." He took a quick step forward and thrust a cell phone into Don's hand. He backed away, brown eyes begging and pleading. Don followed him slowly.

"Charlie… I don't get it. What's this for? What did he do to you?"

Charlie shook his head rapidly. The office was as silent as a tomb, aside from both their voices. Everyone was watching. "No, no, Don. Don't follow me. He'll kill all of us if you try to keep me here. I have to go."

"No way. There's no way I'm letting you walk out that door and go _back_!" Don said determinedly, shaking his own head.

"You have to!" Charlie yelled. "You don't understand! He made me swallow some kind of explosive. He can detonate it anytime he wants, and if you try to save me now…" He gave a tremulous smile. "I'm glad you're okay. When the hangar collapsed, I was afraid…" Charlie cast a glance at the door and darted for it. "I'm sorry, Don," he called as he vanished.

David and Colby entered at the opposite end of the room just as Charlie was leaving. They caught sight of that head of black curls and both shouted simultaneously, dashing after him.

"Stop it!" Don shouted. They stopped. They turned and looked at him incredulously.

"Did I miss something?" Colby demanded.

"That was Charlie, wasn't it?" David said at the same time.

The cell phone rang and suddenly everyone was staring at it and Don.

"Answer it," Megan said softly. Don pushed the talk button and held it up to his ear. His hands were shaking.

"Hello?"

"Agent Eppes. I trust you're having a good afternoon. It's such a pleasure to finally hear your voice. You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this day."

Don's hand tightened on the phone and he considered crushing it. "Listen, you son of a-," he began, but the man on the other end cut him off with an amused chuckle.

"Now, now, now, Agent. We mustn't go losing our tempers, must we? We must remain very calm. I'm sure this can all be worked out, aren't you?"

"What do you want?" Don demanded through clenched teeth.

"Hmmm, that's not such an easy one to answer. Oh wait. I've got it." His voice hardened to granite. "I want my sanity back."

"How-"

"You cost me my sanity, Agent Eppes, and I want it back. And here's how you're going to give it back to me. You're going to give me $1,000,000." Don swore under his breath and the man laughed. "I thought that might be your reaction. Now, I realize it might take you a little while, so here's the other part of our little deal. For every 24 hours that you let pass without delivering me my money, you must deliver me another prisoner. If you feel to do this, well… Contemplate the value of your brother's life. Ponder than for a while. I'm sure your imagination will supply the details."

Don didn't bother hiding his curses this time.

The man listened in silence until Don ran out of air. "24 hours, Agent Eppes. Either you deliver the money or you deliver a prisoner. It's up to you."

"How am I supposed to get a hold of you?"

"You _won't_ get a hold of me, Agent. _I'll_ get a hold of _you_." He paused for a moment. A cry sounded in the background. "You brother bids you farewell, as do I." A dull click sounded in Don's ear.

His fist tightened around the phone until he heard the plastic shift and creak. Megan pried the phone out of his hand.

"I didn't hear everything he said, but I'm guessing we're going to need this," she said, studying the cell phone. "What _did_ he say, Don? What's the deal?"

David and Colby drew nearer, anxious to hear, and all three of them repeated his name, but Don ignored them, hands clenched into fists, staring at the wall, breathing heavily. Charlie was in the hands of a madman, and Don had 24 hours to collect $1,000,000, or someone else was going to go join the party.

That son of a ----- was not going to get away with this.

Not by a long shot.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Very good, Professor. At least we know that you can take orders." The blow to Charlie's head caused the room to spin dizzily. "Perhaps a bit too emotionally done for my taste, but still, orders are orders, and now your brother has his. Time will tell how much he really cares for you."

"What did you make him do?" Charlie forced out, hating how his voice shook.

"Nothing physically impossible." Another blow. "By the way, no more asking questions. I won't allow it. It's a waste of time in this case. Just shut up and stay shut up. Got it? Good." His voice said he was smiling.

Charlie pushed himself back as far as he could, revolted and frightened. The blindfold cast everything in darkness, though he wasn't sure he wanted to see the man's face, really. Perhaps darkness was preferable, really.

_Don, Don, where are you? I'm so sorry. It's my fault that all of this happened. I'm sorry. _

…_Help me…_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_(A/N- Hey everybody! Can you believe it? I actually posted a new chapter! It's a miracle! I kind of thought this fic was dead and gone, but lo and behold, inspiration strikes again! You may notice that this chapter is the shortest so far, and for that I apologize, but apparently inspiration didn't strike quite **that** hard. Please review! You know I love it! Thanks! -C.A.)_


End file.
